Air cushion vehicle toy

Abstract

An air cushion vehicle toy has a body formed with an air inlet and levitation air vent holes. An expandable and contractible skirt is attached to a lower part of the body, and a centrifugal levitation air blower is arranged to both expand the skirt and to levitate the body. Propulsive air blowers are mounted on a body upper part, and a radio control unit may be provided for controlling all of these air blowers separately. The body incorporates a float unit for improving buoyancy. The skirt may be bag-like with a bottom provided with holes.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An air cushion vehicle toy, comprising: a body containing a float unit and a battery compartment;   said body having an air inlet and a plurality of downwardly directed discharge air vents;   a bag-like hollow skirt extending downwardly from below said body around an outer periphery thereof;   a centrifugal air blower disposed in communication with said air inlet and connected to discharge air into said baglike skirt to expand the latter and to discharge air through said air vents to provide levitation;   propulsive air blowers mounted on said body;   control means for supplying electric power from said battery compartment to each of said air blowers and for controlling operation of each of said air blowers separately;   said float unit comprising a sealed box containing air and also containing electrical components; and   said centrifugal air blower being driven by an electric motor which is housed in said sealed box, a drive shaft of said motor extending upwardly through a top of said sealed box.   
     
     
       2. The air cushion vehicle of claim 1, wherein said propulsive air blowers are located at a rear end of said vehicle toy, and each propulsive air blower is provided with a pivotal rudder. 
     
     
       3. The air cushion vehicle of claim 2, wherein said bag-like skirt is U-shaped in cross-section. 
     
     
       4. An air cushion vehicle toy, comprising: a body containing a float unit in the form of a sealed box;   said body having an air inlet and a plurality of downwardly directed discharge air vents, said air vents being spaced around but outside said sealed box;   a bag-like hollow skirt extending downwardly from below said body around a periphery thereof to define a levitation air chamber below said body;   a levitation blower communicating with said air inlet and discharging air into an air passageway disposed between an upper portion of said body and a cover of said sealed box, said air passageway distributing air to said air vents and also being in communication with said bag-like skirt for expanding the latter;   a propulsive blower mounted on said body and spaced from said levitation blower;   a control unit for controlling operation of said blowers, said control unit being disposed in said sealed box and including a radio receiving circuit for remote control;   an antenna mounted on said body for receiving radio signals for said receiving circuit; and   a battery unit disposed in said body for powering said blowers.   
     
     
       5. The air cushion vehicle toy of claim 4, wherein said blowers are separately controllable by said control unit. 
     
     
       6. The air cushion vehicle toy of claim 5, wherein said bag-like skirt has a bottom provided with air discharge holes. 
     
     
       7. An air cushion vehicle toy, comprising: a body having an upper part perforated with an air introducing hole and a bottom part perforated with air vent holes;   a skirt unit attached to a lower circumference of said body and having an expandable and contractible bag-like shape which communicates with an interior of said body;   a levitation air blower for expanding said skirt unit while introducing air into said body from outside via said air introducing hole, and at the same time imparting levitating forces to said body by exhausting air through said air vent holes, said levitation blower having an impeller in the form of a centrifugal fan wheel;   two propulsive air blowers mounted on said upper part of said body, said two propulsive air blowers being disposed side by side at a rear end of said vehicle toy with said levitation air blower being disposed forwardly of the two propulsive air blowers;   a control unit for controlling operation of said levitation air blower and said propulsive air blowers;   a float unit for providing buoyancy of the air cushion vehicle toy with respect to water, the float unit comprising a sealed box with a cover and being mounted below said body upper part and forming part of said body bottom part;   a bottom central part of said skirt unit being formed with holes herein, said holes being directed downwardly and slightly inwardly from said skirt;   a battery compartment for containing a battery power source for powering the air blowers, said battery compartment being formed between said body upper and lower parts forwardly of said sealed box; and   an electric motor mounted in said float unit with a drive shaft of said electric motor extending upwardly through said sealed box cover and said fan wheel being mounted on said drive shaft.   
     
     
       8. The air cushion vehicle toy of claim 7, wherein said levitation air blower discharges air into an air passageway located between said body upper part and said sealed box cover, and said vent holes and said skirt unit communicate with said air passageway. 
     
     
       9. The air cushion vehicle toy of claim 7, wherein each of said propulsive air blowers comprises a unit having an electric motor with a motor shaft extending rearwardly, a propeller mounted on a rear end of this motor shaft, a propeller cover mounted on said electric motor of said unit and surrounding the propeller, and a rudder pivotally mounted in a rear portion of the propeller cover. 
     
     
       10. The air cushion vehicle toy of claim 9, wherein with each said propulsive air blower, the propeller cover and the respective rudder overhang rearwardly beyond said rear end of said vehicle toy. 
     
     
       11. The air cushion vehicle toy of claim 7, wherein said sealed box is attached to said body upper part by a plurality of bosses, and said air vent holes are formed as vertically extending cylinders which are spaced apart around an outer periphery of said sealed box. 
     
     
       12. An air cushion vehicle toy, comprising: a body containing a float unit and a battery compartment;   said body having an air inlet and a plurality of downwardly directed discharge air vents;   a bag-like hollow skirt extending downwardly from below said body around an outer periphery thereof;   a centrifugal air blower disposed in communication with said air inlet and connected to discharge air into said baglike skirt to expand the latter and to discharge air through said air vents to provide levitation;   two propulsive air blowers mounted on said body;   control means for supplying electric power from said battery compartment to each of said air blowers and for controlling operation of each of said air blowers separately;   said propulsive air blowers being located side by side at a rear end of said vehicle toy, and each propulsive air blower being provided with a pivotal rudder;   each said propulsive air blower comprising an electric motor with a rearwardly extending drive shaft, a propeller mounted on a rear end of the drive shaft, and a cylindrical cover supported from said motor and surrounding said propeller, said rudder being pivotally mounted in a rear portion of said cylindrical cover; and   each said cylindrical cover and associated rudder overhanging rearwardly of said vehicle toy rear end.   
     
     
       13. An air cushion vehicle toy, comprising: a body having an upper part and a lower part;   said upper part having an air intake hole therein;   said lower part comprising a sealed box which forms a float unit to provide buoyancy to the vehicle toy when in water so enabling the vehicle toy to float on water;   an air distribution passageway defined in said body and communicating with said air intake hole;   an inflatable skirt disposed around said body and when inflated extending downward below said body to define an air cushion space, said air distribution passageway communicating with an interior of said inflatable skirt;   a plurality of air vent holes providing communication between said air distribution passageway and said air cushion space;   levitation means, supported by said body, for drawing air in through said air intake hole and discharging air through said air distribution passageway into said inflatable skirt and into said air vent holes;   propulsive means, mounted on said body, for propelling said vehicle toy over land or water; and   said levitation means including an electric motor having a drive shaft, said electric motor being mounted inside said sealed box with said drive shaft extending upwardly through a top of said sealed box.   
     
     
       14. The air cushion vehicle toy of claim 13, wherein said inflatable skirt is of U-shape in cross section and has a plurality of air discharge holes equally spaced apart all around the bottom of said skirt, each of said discharge holes being slightly inwardly offset from the center of the bottom of said U-shape cross section. 
     
     
       15. The air cushion vehicle toy of claim 14, wherein said levitation means comprises a centrifugal fan wheel mounted on an upper end of said drive shaft. 
     
     
       16. The air cushion vehicle toy of claim 15, wherein said centrifugal fan wheel is disposed in said air intake hole, and a dome-like fan cover extends over said fan wheel and said air intake hole, said fan cover comprising swirly ribs and ringlike ribs which together form part of a spherical surface. 
     
     
       17. The air cushion vehicle toy of claim 13, further comprising: an electrical control unit for controlling operation of said propulsive means and said levitation means, said control unit being mounted inside said sealed box; and   an on/off switch for said control unit, said switch being located in said sealed box and having a manual actuating button extending upwardly through said sealed box top and said body upper part.   
     
     
       18. The air cushion vehicle toy of claim 13, wherein: said air vent holes are formed by vertically disposed cylinders spaced around an outer periphery of said sealed box;   said body has a forward end and a rear end and is formed with a battery compartment adjacent but forwardly of said sealed box, all said air vent hole cylinders being disposed rearwardly of said battery compartment;   said air vent hole cylinders extending upwardly higher than the water level when the vehicle toy floats on water with said levitation means inoperative; and   said inflatable skirt is waterproofed.   
     
     
       19. An air cushion vehicle toy, comprising: a body having an upper part perforated with an air introducing hole and a bottom part perforated with a plurality of spaced apart air vent holes, said body having a forward end and a rear end;   a skirt unit attached to a lower circumference of said body and having an expandable and contractible bag-like shape which communicates with an interior of said body, said skirt unit surrounding an air cushion space;   a levitation air blower for expanding said skirt unit while introducing air into said body from outside via said air introducing hole, and at the same time imparting levitating forces to said body by exhausting air through said air vent holes, said levitation blower having an impeller in the form of a centrifugal fan wheel rotatable about a vertical axis;   two propulsive air blowers mounted on said upper part of said body, said two propulsive air blowers being disposed side by side at said rear end of said body with said levitation air blower being disposed forwardly of the two propulsive air blowers;   a control unit for controlling operation of said levitation air blower and said propulsive air blowers;   a float unit for providing buoyancy of the air cushion vehicle toy with respect to water, the float unit comprising a sealed box with a cover and being mounted below said body upper part and forming part of said body bottom part;   said sealed box being attached to and spaced from said body upper part by a plurality of downwardly extending bosses, said air vent holes being formed as vertically extending cylinders spaced apart around an outer periphery of said sealed box;   a bottom central part of said skirt unit being formed with holes herein, said holes being directed downwardly and slightly inwardly from said skirt towards said air cushion space;   a battery compartment for containing a battery power source for powering the air blowers, said battery compartment being formed between said body upper and lower parts forwardly of said sealed box and forwardly of all said air vent holes;   an electric motor mounted in said float unit with a drive shaft of said electric motor extending upwardly through said sealed box cover and said centrifugal fan wheel being mounted on said drive shaft;   an air distribution passageway formed inside said body between said body upper part and said sealed box cover, said levitation air blower discharging air into said air distribution passageway which communicates with said vent holes and said skirt unit;   each of said propulsive air blowers comprising a unit having an electric motor with a motor shaft extending rearwardly, a propeller mounted on a rear end of this motor shaft, a propeller cover mounted on said electric motor of said unit and surrounding the propeller, and a rudder pivotally mounted in a rear portion of the propeller cover;   said control unit being mounted inside said sealed box together with an on/off switch for said control unit, said switch having a manual actuating button which extends upwardly through said sealed box cover and said body upper part and is accessible from above the vehicle toy; and   said air introducing hole being disposed centrally of said body upper part and being covered by a dome-shaped cover comprising swirly ribs and ring-like ribs which together form part of a spherical surface.